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WCW TV Shows on WWE Network

Hi Scott

I was wondering if you had any idea when WWE plans on adding old WCW TV Shows like worldwide & Saturday night from the 80's onto the Network please?

Thank
​ ​
you

Nope, and neither do they.  The really frustrating thing about the whole deal is that there's literally HUNDREDS of hours of those shows, plus Primetime Wrestling, that were cleaned up and digitized for WWE 24/7 and literally just need to be dumped onto the Network and indexed.  Since no one is buying a subscription for these shows except for, you know, exactly the kind of hardcore wrestling nerd they're trying to sell to, I don't know why they feel the need to withhold them.  

The best resource on updates and discussion of the Network I've found is the sub-Reddit for it, by the way:  
http://www.reddit.com/r/wwenetwork/
​  There's a daily bot that updates new content and people chat about it there all the time. ​

Comments

  1. Found this gem on that sub-Reddit. Pretty convenient and awesome, especially when you're bored.

    http://returntotherunway.com/wwenetwork/random_match.php



    My first match, though, was Mabel v. King Kong Bundy from Raw in '95. So I'm not sure whether to love it or hate it.

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  2. Stranger in the AlpsOctober 16, 2014 at 7:32 AM

    Yeah, that sub-Reddit is pretty awesome. That's where I pulled my info from whenever I posted a network update. Other than the 95-96 Nitros, there has been no action on the classic front. Those three RAW's they added were probably done so in order to get up to a stopping point related to the debut of Nitro, because I have not seen any further additions on the schedule. They're promising another new original series with Rivalries, and of course, new content gets archived several times a week. It's possible that the new guy they just hired to be the chief digital officer is there to pull the strings on this whole thing.

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  3. Stranger in the AlpsOctober 16, 2014 at 7:35 AM

    Rey Mysterio vs. Finlay from No Mercy 2007.

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  4. Are there really thought to be that many hardcore wrestling nerds who would be totally into the old WCW shows they have yet to add who don't already HAVE the network?

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  5. Big Show/Sheamus, TLC 2012.


    Fuck that.

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  6. Well, I know of at least a few who have publicly let their subscriptions expire precisely because WWE isn't adding any of that stuff.

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  7. My biggest issue with their marketing campaign is that they're putting so much emphasis on the price and practically no emphasis whatsoever on the content. Don't get me wrong, the price is great. And they're right to point out what a bargain it is. But at the end of the day, people are going to buy (or at the very least stick around) because of the content. If I knew nothing about the WWE Network, I really don't think I'd know anything about the service other than "Pay-Per-Views for $9.99 a month" if I followed this campaign.

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  8. Expire, sure, and I'm sure they'd be glad to get them back. And honestly, at this point, they have no reason not to add whatever they've got. The staggered rollout, even if it was done properly and with reason, isn't the hook they're looking for.

    Still, I don't think those lapsed WCW fans who hated Vince and his product and have ostensibly been out of the loop for almost a decade and a half are coming back.

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  9. I have literally 1,000 vhs tapes (and there's youtube) and I felt insulted by the lack of content on the network. I let my subscription expire in Aug/Sept. and haven't regretted it. Yes, it's $9.99, but i'd rather pay $14.99 for EVERYTHING instead of their own personal selection. And I hate seeing The Miz on every Countdown show in every other segment.

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  10. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarOctober 16, 2014 at 7:59 AM

    I saw on LinkedIn that WWE is looking for someone that can handle stuff for uploading to the Network. Maybe once they actually hire someone...

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  11. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarOctober 16, 2014 at 8:00 AM

    You felt insulted? Like, it was a personal slight against you that WWE has their own (lack of) plans for the Network and is not kowtowing to a bunch of hardcore wrestling nerds on a Blog?

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  12. I think they missed the target market. The network has a lot of second screen stuff and current stuff. I think they were banking on the younger audience being all tech savvy and wanting this stuff, but really the 25-45 year old demographic would've been perfect to go after - the people that want older content and have more disposable income to spend on it.

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  13. You might be taking that a bit too literally. Doubt his feelings were actually hurt, but like any consumer - he's speaking through his wallet which is the right way to go

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  14. Stranger in the AlpsOctober 16, 2014 at 8:07 AM

    Yeah, I don't get the butthurt either. $10 is a steal for whatever it is they have on there already. I have no qualms about rewatching PPVs that I have seen already, mainly because a lot of them I have only seen once. There is no way that there are people who have watched everything that they have uploaded on there since Day One. Binge watching is for people who have a lot of time on their hands and nothing else to watch. For people like me, with a job and a life, there is still so much watching to do.

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  15. Their strategy (and I use that term very loosely) for adding content has been a clusterfuck. They were adding World Class and ECW episodes at the launch of the network, and then just stopped cold. Not a single episode added in months. Old School shows from MSG & Boston Garden - stopped cold. They did throw us a bone with SNME, Clash of the Champions & Nitro, so obviously somebody is doing a little work up there. But I think it's safe to say that the "give them just a little content at a time to keep them subscribing" strategy that so many here defended has failed. People are canceling, and there aren't many people waiting to take their place.

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  16. Exactly! I said i would PAY MORE for more and better selected content. I hate the current product and could care less about Legends House, Total Divas, or monthly PPVs that are more like Raw. They really should offer a tier structure--get more content at higher prices.

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  17. Maybe it's their way of trying to remain a 'network' as opposed to an online library. There are a million other ways to do this (original programming would be a start) but who knows what they're thinking

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  18. If you're a lapsed wrestling fan, you're not hardcore enough to want to wade through thousands of hours of old TV. I don't think you can be hardcore AND lapsed at the same time. Us hardcores stick around.

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  19. Disagree - it wasn't as flat-out great as their match two months earlier at "HIAC", but they had shockingly good chemistry.

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  20. Great Khali and Natalya vs Big E Langston and AJ Lee

    Day ruined. :(

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  21. Ouch. Yeah, that beats mine by a lot.

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  22. Extant1979 - Ghetto SuperstarOctober 16, 2014 at 8:32 AM

    Maybe, but there are a bunch of people here who seem like they get bent out of shape and ACTUALLY personally offended when WWE does something they don't like.


    It's business, and you're right, voting with your wallet is the best way to go. I just don't get the need for hyperbole.

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  23. Yep, but it's probably just because it's a fun blog where we all banter back and forth. The issue with the network and really any form of entertainment is it's easily replaceable. I like sports, but when they go on strike, I simply find something else to keep me entertained and occupied. So many ways to pass leisure time these days that people generally will move on. I like the network and it serves a purpose for me now (e.g. I watch it when I exercise mostly), but I could just as easily watch something else at that same time.

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  24. Marc Mero and Goldust vs The Headbangers

    WWE No Way Out 1998 | No Way Out | 1998-02-14



    Not sure if want...

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  25. They were able to upload World Class, ECW, and Old School shows up initially because its what they had from WWE24/7/WWEClassicsOnDemand. The reason that stopped ie because thats all that they got up to on those runs on WWECOD. Now they have to go through and edit other shows for music and such which is what the time delay
    is.

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  26. that's actually not true. there are dozens of shows that ran on WWECOD / 24/7 that haven't been uploaded yet (for example, stuff like the AWA "Superclash" and the "Brawl in St. Paul" that has definitely been on WWECOD).

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  27. which would be great and stupid at the same time.

    ("stupid" because: the Network is the thing that the future of the company is really depending on - how stupid would it be if they don't have anybody doing that job ALREADY!)

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  28. "There is no way that there are people who have watched everything that
    they have uploaded on there since Day One. Binge watching is for people
    who have a lot of time on their hands and nothing else to watch."


    huh? so you're saying there is a way?

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  29. It's disappointing when they add new stuff and old stuff at a very slow clip. I'd like to see some AWA and UWF shows.

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  30. Stranger in the AlpsOctober 16, 2014 at 10:40 AM

    Is there no room for hyperbole? I'm saying that one can binge watch, and I'm left wondering if there really is someone who has watched every single thing.

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  31. No one is begging for AWA like they are ECW and WCCW.

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  32. Gunther the Nasty LoserOctober 16, 2014 at 11:26 AM

    I think we've officially reached critical mass with discussion of what the Network should be doing but isn't. There should be a moratorium on discussion of it, like about Punk walking out, how WWE is using Daniel Bryan, etc.

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  33. BS. They got way farther with ECW on 24/7. Tons of house shows too. Mid atlantic. Never ceases to amaze me why people want to apologies for WWE
    incompetence.

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  34. but that's the whole point. Netflix doesn't refuse to add more content becaue existing subscribers haven't watched every single thing available. They put up content because everyone wants different things. You need to satisfy a ton of different markets. Some want WCCW. Others want ECW. Some want old mid-atlantic. Just because there are a bunch of countdown shows or Slam cities they haven't watched, doesn't make them bad people for wanting the content they want. If this network is to make it, they either have to catch fire and get 1.5 million folks wanting to pay 9.99 to watch the current ppvs. Or they need to satisfy a wide variety of appetites to keep a wide variety of consumers.

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  35. What should be the big reason to subscribe is getting current PPVs for a price of 9.99, the rest should all be gravy.

    The problem is the current product stinks and they are doing little to fix it. Who really feels Cena/Orton part 100 should be the main event of a PPV in 2014?

    If Vince and co want this thing to work, forget about the old content, worry about fixing the current product.

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  36. I FUCKING WANT PRIMETIME WRESTLING.

    Jerks.

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  37. I was looking for Superclash he other day because I saw clips of it on one of their DVDs. I expected to find it, but was disappointed to not find it. People would love AWA stuff, especially to see many of their favorites (Hogan, Hennig, etc.) in a different setting.

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  38. I think it's pretty obvious that the network has been a miserable failure from a business perspective. Anybody have any idea how many subscribers 24/7 or COD had?

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  39. Thank u. They're Trying to make money any way possible other than actually making the shows better

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  40. If they did, they gotta up the early 90's Power Hour and Worldwide. Soooo many hidden gems. I bet there are countless people who didn't know that Sting and Cactus had a Submit or Surrender (I Quit) match on television in late 1991

    Stuff like that needs to get out to the masses

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  41. They own the SMW library right? Id kill to get some of that

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  42. It had like 180,000 at it's highest, if i remember right. Keep in mind it was never avaliable on directv or dish network. Video quality issues turned a lot of people off.

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  43. Didn't they have a bunch of Challenges/Superstars/Saturday Night digitized for ClassicsOnline? (I know they had at least one of them done through 1991). There's absolutely no reason that isn't up yet, other than mismanagement.



    I'm not cancelling by any means, but I'll likely just spend more time on the GWE project than the Network until I get something more to my liking.

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  44. i just hope that wwe does not censored that stuff like they are with beyond the mat and mnw

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  45. Ugh. The Network has brought out the worst in wrestling fans. We get PPVs every month, something that used to cost 40 bucks, for 10 dollars. And we have all the WWE/ECW/WCW PPVs and can watch them whenever we want. And we have years of old Raws. And Nitros. And all the Clash of Champions. And all the Saturday Night Main Events. And they're still adding other shows. And ALL people do is complain because EVERY episode of Raw isn't up (and it will be eventually). Or because old episodes of WCW Thunder or WWF All American Wrestling aren't up yet. If you told me ten years ago that just the PPVs (new and old) would be available, my mind would be blown. Everything else is really just a bonus.

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  46. until they start to censor them like they are doing with mnw and beyond the mat

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  47. okay, then. other examples would include stuff like several episodes of NWA's "World Championship Wrestling", a lot of Coliseum Home Videos and also quite a few houseshows (afaik there are five Boston Garden shows available on the Network. but there were more shown on WWECOD).

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